The BestFriend (Carlisle x Oc) Book 1

Chapter4

A week had passed since Bella discovered our secret, a week of newfound excitement and anticipation, particularly because Esme and Elliot had just returned. Today was the day Edward was bringing Bella over, and I had instructed everyone to go hunt before her arrival at 5 PM. The family set out, the men insisting it was their duty to hunt for their wives. I didn't mind; it was a tradition I had come to appreciate. Once we were all satisfied, we returned home to prepare dinner for Bella.

I stood beside Carlisle as he watched a cooking show focused on Italian cuisine. It seemed fitting, after all—her name was Bella, after all, which was something Emmett would definitely joke about. Noah was next to Esme, while Emmett busied himself chopping vegetables and Rose held the bowl.

As Carlisle and I focused on our task, we suddenly heard Rosalie's exasperated voice cut through the air. "Is she even Italian?" she asked.

"Her name is Bella," Emmett retorted. "I told you!"

Carlisle and I resumed our work, with him handling the chicken while I couldn't help but critique his cooking skills—let's just say he wasn't a master chef. "No, no! That's not how you're supposed to make the chicken!" I laughed, observing the uncooked meat on the stove. "It's no wonder vampires don't eat human food—they can't cook!"

Just then, we heard the sound of a car pulling up. Bella's voice floated in through the open window. She was joking about expecting to see us sleeping in coffins and having moats, which made me chuckle.

"Whoa! Would you get a whiff of that? Here comes the human," Rose said, and we all made our way into the living room, momentarily distracted from the neglected chicken.

I spotted Bella, the girl with the brown hair from my clinic. She looked nervous, and Esme picked up on it right away, immediately walking over to Bella and giving her a warm hug. "Bella, we're making Italian food for you," Esme said cheerfully, while Carlisle wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

"Oh," Bella said, and I could tell she wasn't exactly hungry, which was perfectly fine considering that the food might make her sick if she ate too much.

"Bella, this is Esme, our aunt, and her husband, Elliot, our uncle," Carlisle introduced them.

Bella greeted them in Italian, which confirmed that she definitely wasn't Italian.

"You've given us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time," Carlisle said with a grin.

"I hope you're hungry!" Esme chimed in.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Bella replied, but Edward quickly interjected.

"She already ate," he said, and the room fell silent, the weight of his statement hanging in the air like a lead balloon. Just then, a loud crash broke the tension as we turned to see Rosalie had accidentally knocked over a bowl. She stepped over the mess with an annoyed expression while Emmett found himself huddled behind her.

"Perfect," she muttered.

"Look, it's very considerate of you," Bella said, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't quite work.

"Of course, that's very thoughtful of you," Esme offered sweetly, and I glanced up at Carlisle, silently questioning whether everything would be alright. He nodded, reassuring me.

"Just ignore Rosalie, I do," Edward said, and I facepalmed at his comment directed at his sister.

"Yeah, let's just pretend this isn't a dangerous situation for all of us," Rosalie retorted, her concern for the family evident.

"I would never tell anyone anything," Bella defended herself.

"Of course she knows that we all do," Carlisle interjected gently. But just when I thought the turmoil had settled, Emmett piped up again.

"Well, the problem is you two went public," he said, and my heart dropped. I looked at him, shocked and hurt that he hadn't confided in me about this. He must've sensed my feelings because his expression shifted to one of regret as he realized how it sounded.

I shot Emmett a look, and he raised his hands in surrender, a smirk still on his face. "No, she should know. The entire family could be implicated if this turns sour," Rosalie added harshly. "Badly as I become the meal," she said softly, prompting some nervous laughter from the others.

An awkward silence fell over us until Alice and Jasper entered through the window. Alice walked straight to Bella, enveloping her in a hug as Jasper moved past me. I noticed the worried look on Jasper's face, so I placed a comforting hand on his arm, rubbing it gently. He looked down, grateful.

"I'm Alice," she greeted, breaking away from her embrace with Bella.

"Hi," Bella replied, her awkwardness palpable.

"Oh, you do smell good," Alice said cheerfully, and the entire room exchanged glances. Edward looked at her in shock.

"What are you, Alice?" he asked incredulously.

"It's okay, Bella and I are going to be great friends," she stated confidently, though we could all sense Jasper's internal panic.

"Sorry, Jasper is our newest vegetarian. It's hard for him," Carlisle explained, wrapping an arm around my waist, drawing me against his chest. I noticed Bella looking at us with a hint of envy, leaving me puzzled about her feelings.

"It's okay, Jasper. You won't hurt her," Alice reassured, doing her best as a mate, perhaps even more than I could.

"Well, Bella, I want you to meet our mother, even though you've met her before," Jasper said, and Bella nodded, recalling, "Yeah, I brought a puppy to her clinic."

I smiled, "He's doing great, actually. Another week and he'll be ready for a forever home."

Carlisle watched me with that loving look that always made my heart flutter. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, his voice holding a note of pride. "Ah, my lovely wife and her affection for animals."

I snapped out of my thoughts, smiling back at him. "Well, let's show you the house," Edward said, leading Bella away.

Once they were gone, Carlisle chuckled, "Well, that went great."

I smirked at him. "For now," I said, laughing lightly. "Let's clean this mess up."